Present, Hakuren Hospital
Cough Cough Cough
Leonidas woke up with a start and blinked his eyes in confusion as he took in the scenery. Looking down he was in a blue hospital gown while curtains had been drawn so he couldn’t see past his bed. Sensing something to his left, he quickly turned his head only to be greeted by the appearance of Mika Kuroha, who was watching him carefully.
“Hello”
“.....”
“You fainted about two hours ago so I brought you to the Hakuren General Hospital. It appears you fainted from stress… How are you feeling now? Oh and don’t worry about any of the fees, they’ve all been taken care of.”
Lifting his hands shakily, Leonidas recalled the conversation before everything had turned black.
“Hakuren doesn’t need a weakling like you…”
“I don’t want to see your pathetic face ever again”
Recalling the back that turned away from him and refused to look back at him, Leonidas’s hand fell and tightly gripped the blanket while his body began to tremble.
Not again, he didn’t want to be by himself again…
It was so…
Cold.
As Leonidas continued to shake like a leaf in a storm, Mika looked at him with an odd look in her eyes before reaching out to the boy. Feeling a gentle hand awkwardly pat his head, Leonidas stopped trembling as his orange eyes, filled with fear, looked into the enigmatic, purple eyes of the older girl.
“Would you like to come with me, Tsujo-kun?”
Hearing Mika’s words, Leonidas stared at her with dull eyes that gave off a lacklustre energy before ignoring her and lying back down in his hospital bed. Undeterred, Mika continued speaking
“I have already spoken to the appropriate figures. It just so happens my father was looking for a talented soccer player to sponsor, and as his daughter I thought it would be prudent to recommend a player with a high degree of potential such as yourself. You can rest assured that this was based on a completely objective assessment of your skills by the higher ups at the Takinami Corporation’s Sports Department. If you accept, the Takinami Corporation will provide you with housing, food, clothing, education and any other accommodations you’ll need, so if you’re willing all you have to do is sign here.”
Holding out a tablet to the green-haired boy who didn’t appear to be listening, Mika waited patiently until Leonidas blinked slowly and rolled around onto his side so his back faced her and the tablet.
Sighing, Mika put down the tablet and nervously brushed her lips with her index finger. She knew it was unlikely that Leonidas would just nonchalantly sign as if nothing had happened but she was unsure of how to proceed due to her lack of experience in dealing with these types of scenarios. Beginning to frantically calculate the most efficient line to say that would successfully revive the conversation, Mika put on a troubled smile and sat in the chair beside the bed silently.
“I…”
Mika looked up hearing the hoarse voice that sounded as if it had not been used in a long while.
“I…have nothing left anymore, Ojou-sama. Please leave.”
Turning around and sitting up weakly, Leonidas gave her a defeated smile as tears began to drip silently from the corner of his eyes. Unfamiliar with what was happening, Leonidas ignored the water that was falling along the sides of his face and began to let out everything that seemed to be welling out from his heart.
“It’s empty, it’s empty, it’s empty. It’s always so empty.”
Beginning to breathe erratically, Leonidas leaned forwards making his long hair fall in front of his face as he closed his eyes to prevent any more water from leaking out.
Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock
He was back.
Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock
Looking around at the unlit room, Leonidas slowly made his way towards his bed where the same, tattered blanket that he had shared with his mother, laid. No sooner had Leonidas’s fingers touched the blanket however, the blanket slowly began to disintegrate leaving no traces of its existence remaining.
That was fine.
He knew that would happen.
Falling to the ground, Leonidas stuck his head underneath his bed and blinked his orange eyes widely like an owl. Sure enough, no bags of kinoko no yama remained.
That was fine.
Leonidas leaned his back against the bed frame in order to curl his knees up to rest his head but fell backwards as everything in his room began to disappear leaving the room completely black and barren except for a singular clock.
Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock
This was fine.
This was how it was and how it always would be.
Leonidas told this to himself over and over, but even though he knew that things would end up like this he still felt his chest tighten up as his heart began to beat louder and louder.
He knew what this feeling was now.
Leonidas was sad.
Overcome with his emotions, Leonidas cursed his own greed. If only he didn’t have expectations, if only he hadn’t hoped for a better life like a greedy, bad child. If only he had never left his mother, it wouldn’t hurt so much now…
Like a dam being unleashed, Leonidas felt the floodgates of his heart overcome by the endless torrent of deep sorrow that was mixed with regret, disappointment, misery and despair. Letting his arms hang loosely, Leonidas didn’t bother to try and wipe the tears that were now drenching his face as he cried and cried and cried.
“It’s empty, it’s empty, it’s empty, it’s empty, it’s empty, it’s empty”
Seeing the green-haired boy cry inconsolably in the hospital bed, Mika frowned and gently wiped the tears on his face with a handkerchief.
“Don’t you know crying is a waste of energy Tsujo-kun?”
Hic Hic
Covering his mouth with his hands, Leonidas attempted to stop himself from crying but was unable to keep it in, resulting in his body shaking while Mika began to pat his back patiently. After a few minutes, the hiccups began to subside and finally calming himself down, Leonidas’ eyes returned to their lifeless, cold state as he continued to mutter
“It’s empty, it’s empty, it’s empty, it’s empty”
Wrapping his hands in her own, Mika waited for the boy to look her in the eyes before asking him
“What’s empty, Tsujo-kun?”
Blinking twice, Leonidas listless replied
“Me”
“I have nothing.”
“I am nothing.”
Leonidas then ripped his hands from Mika’s and wrapped them around himself as his body began to shake once more and distress poured out from his voice as he began to ramble incoherently.
“There’s nothing inside and I’m all alone. No matter what I do, I can’t get out. I always have to go back there and there’s nothing left inside. They all leave, they all leave without me. Why can’t they take me with them? Why won’t they look at me? Don’t they know how cold it is? How dark it is? It hurts…it hurts…it hurts.”
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Curling up into a ball, Leonidas grew quiet in the hospital bed while Mika took in everything he had just said. Unsure of what to do, Mika carefully opened up his left hand which had tightened into a fist and put the tear-sodden handkerchief inside.
“Empty things are meant to be filled Tsujo-kun…”
Mika took a deep breath in and began to speak with more confidence in her voice.
“Let me help you. You don’t have to do it alone Tsujo-kun, please trust me. I am a woman of my word, and I promise you that you’ll be able to fill that emptiness of yours with many, many happy memories in the future. So take my hand, and follow me. I won’t lead you astray.”
Leonidas took a peak at the black-haired girl staring at him with earnest eyes, he could feel something different from her…
Sincerity.
It was the first time someone was looking at him like he was a human…
But, he was so tired.
With mixed emotions in his heart, Leonidas slowly uncurled his body and sat on the edge of his bed. Bowing his head low, he decided at that moment, once more.
Just once more.
This would be the last time.
“Please, Ojou-sama. Help me.”
One Hour Later, Hakuren Outdoor Field
Tweet Tweet Tweet
“Okay, everyone. Let’s get into position!”
Hearing Aphrodi calling everyone into place, Mika took a nervous look at the green-haired boy who was changing into a Raimon uniform beside the benches.
“Are you sure you’re in a condition to play soccer right now, Tsujo-kun? You’ve only just been released from the hospital, so it would be prudent to take some time to rest.”
[I’m sure, Ojou-sama. I want to play.]
Seeing the determined look in his eyes, Mika let out a sigh before acquiescing to Leonidas’s request and resolved to just watch him carefully for the duration of the practice match, which would be easy enough considering he would be playing as a fellow forward.
[Oh, and Ojou-sama…if you’re comfortable with it… you may call me Leonidas or Leo-kun.]
Mika watched as Leonidas blushed sweetly and nervously hid his face behind the tablet that he had brought back out from his bag. Mika knew of a few peers who had younger siblings like Serika, but it certainly wasn’t as bad as she had anticipated it would be.
“Understood, however it seems only proper that you call me Nee-san then. Deal?”
Nodding his head up and down quickly, the two rushed to their position as they got ready for the match to begin.
10 Minutes Later
“Oh? Penguin Princess’s movements look a tinnnnnnnnnny bit better than before, don’t you think Suzu-nee?”
Haruka looked up lazily as she laid down on the grass beside Suzaku who had binoculars and a bag of popcorn to eat while the two watched the last practice match of the training camp. Zooming in on the blonde-haired girl who was confidently dribbling her way across the field, Suzaku nodded approvingly before replying.
“Oh don’t be so catty Haruka. Serika kept the ball away from you for almost 30% of the practice time we had yesterday. Her dribbling is leagues above where it was before. As expected of me though, I really am such a great teacher aren’t I? I knew I was a genius but I didn’t know I was this great of a genius! Even Senku should watch out for me YOHOHOHOHOHOHO”
Rolling her eyes, Haruka stole some popcorn from the older girl’s bag while she was busy complimenting herself and forced herself to admit it. Gnashing the popcorn with her teeth, it was obvious to an expert eye like herself that Serika’s dribbling had become much smoother since the start of the training camp. However, it still wasn’t enough of a threat considering the Raimon captain had failed to succeed at using ‘Heaven’s Time’ once yet.
Hearing the loud echo of a microphone, Haruka frowned as the Hakuren announcer continued to shout over the match. Despite it being a simple ‘first blood’ practice, the student announcer had insisted he needed the practice and had shown up even though no one had asked him to.
[Despite Raimon’s strong offensive lineup, Hakuren has stayed true to their name of having the best defence in the nation and are holding up well! With Katata-san leading them, it seems unlikely Raimon will be able to score anytime soon!]
……
[Raimon regains possession of the ball and passes it to…OH! If it isn’t it our very own manager, Leonidas Tsujo?! It seems however, he’s switched teams and is now playing for Raimon with this being his first match ever? Let’s see how well Raimon does with a new member in their ranks!]
Leonidas looked down at the ball that had just been passed to him and was now in between his feet as he dribbled a bit unsteadily along the right side of the field. After all this time…he was finally on the same field as Ryoga. After watching all of the Hakuren matches from the sidelines it was a strange feeling to be not only on the field with them but playing against them as a member of Raimon now. However, despite all of this, the feeling that he had while on the field wasn’t bad at all.
No.
‘Not bad’ wasn’t accurate at all.
It was a good feeling. It was exactly like when he had practised with Mika and Yukimura-san the other day which was why he had insisted on playing today. Feeling the hard ground beneath his feet, the wind racing past his ears, the blood racing through his veins…
As Leonidas’s head began to pound, the sound of the clock in his head began to diminish until only a faint Tick Tock Tick Tock could be heard. Letting a content smile appear on his face, Leonidas let his hair flow behind him while he raced forward only to be met by the beady, red eyes of him .
ICE GROUND!
Falling onto the ground after being frozen in place, Leonidas looked as Ryoga gave a fierce kick to the ball, sending it back towards Raimon’s side of the field. Looking downward at him, Ryoga gave the boy a nasty sneer before ignoring him and moving up with the rest of his team.
Picking himself off from the ground, Leonidas brushed the dirt off his body before thinking to himself, “As expected of Katata-sama”. He didn’t stand a chance against the expert Hakuren defender right now and the difference between their skill levels was obvious.
“Leo-kun?”
Awoken from his thoughts, Leonidas snapped his head to the right where Mika was watching him carefully and he looked down at the ground before mumbling.
“S-Sorry Mika-nee…I’m not good enough right now to score any goals, you s-should switch me ou–”
“Leonidas”
“...?”
“I thought I told you to trust me, didn’t I? Raimon is going to win today and you’ll be the one scoring.”
After checking to make sure MIka wasn’t joking around with him, Leonidas’s eyes hardened as the taller girl leaned down to whisper in his ear.
***
[With only 15 minutes remaining the first point is still up for grabs with neither side giving in an inch! With Hakuren’s Sora Souji gaining possession of the ball, will this finally settle the draw from the first day of the training camp!]
ICE TORNADO V2!!
Galahad took a deep breath in while watching the incoming, ice-blue shoot spiral towards the goal. Giving a quick look to Serika who gave him an ugly expression back while making a threatening motion with her hands, Galahad sweatdropped before refocusing and counting down.
Three…
Two…
NOW!
TOTAL ECLIPSE REMASTERED!
DIVINE REVELATION!!
Activating their hissatsus simultaneously, dark shadows enveloped Galahad forming an armour that appeared that now had red lines running across it while a bright halo emerged above Serika’s head. Following the pass course set out by Serika’s Divine Revelation, Galahad gave a shout.
“Aihara-kun!”
“Daiguji-kun!”
“Afuro-san!”
Trying not to be too pleased with herself at how smoothly it was going, Serika trapped the ball in the air and passed it smoothly whilst still middair to Mika who was waiting in the middle of the field right in front of the penalty box.
“Mika!”
Hup
Receiving the ball perfectly, Mika gave a mental note of acknowledgement at Serika’s ‘Divine Revelation’. With this being her first time participating in the sensory hissatsu, it was certainly a novel experience and it was like she knew exactly where she needed to be without even having to think about it. With this, it would work for sure.
Jumping into the air, a hand emerged from the ground as purple mist enveloped the middle of the field.
PANDORA’S BOX V2
“You really are stupid aren’t you?”
Stomping on the ground in front of the incoming shoot, Ryoga laughed loudly with a deranged look in his eyes as his spiky black hair flew around excitedly.
“BRAINLESS B*TCH. THIS IS WHAT A REAL HISSATSU LOOKS LIKE!”
SUBZERO TRIDENT V3!!!
“WHAT?”
Seeing the icy trident miss the black shoot that had curved out of the way and was now heading to the right corner of the field, Mika gave a smirk at Ryoga who was watching dumbfounded.
“If you’re looking for someone who lacks a brain, then all you have to do is look in the mirror Katata-san.”
Following the path of the ball that was now heading for Leonidas who was staring at the ball with intensity, Ryoga processed the sight before grabbing his stomach as his body began to shake from laughter.
“A shoot chain? There’s no way a weak kid like that will be able to make a shoot off that.”
“As usual Katata-san, your arrogance blinds your judgement.”
Pheww
Leonidas let out a breath out from beneath his teeth, as he felt every cell in his body screaming out to him. All the sounds quickly disappeared and all he could see was the goal. Leonidas knew he was weak, and he wasn’t even sure if he belonged on the field with everyone else who shined so brightly. But none of those thoughts mattered right now.
“I promise you that you’ll be able to fill that emptiness of yours with many, many happy memories in the future”
Someone finally saw him.
Someone finally heard him.
Someone finally acknowledged him.
He could do this!
Leonidas closed his eyes then reopened them with a bright orange glow emanating from within. Jumping in the air he spun to the right using the back of his right foot to kick in the air creating a blue slash. Spinning around, he then kicked upward using his left leg creating another blue slash. Wind, snow and ice then began to storm around the side of the field as a pair of eyes igniting red revealed a large white panther from behind him. As the ball continued to spin and pull in the surrounding snow, Leonidas then jumped up once more, spinning to the right and giving a fierce kick with his left leg.
PANTHER BLIZZARD!
[GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!! AND WITH THAT LEONIDAS TSUJO AND MIKA KUROHA SCORE THE FIRST BLOOD AND WIN THE PRACTICE MATCH FOR RAIMON! GREAT PLAYS FROM BOTH TEAMS TODAY AND WE’LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO THEIR PERFORMANCE AT THE HOLY ROAD FINALS IN TWO WEEKS!]
Tch.
Giving a scornful look at the two strikers, Ryoga left irritatedly while MIka went over to compliment Leonidas who was standing in front of the goal in a daze.
“Leo-kun, excellent timing and accuracy with that shoot. That was your first time using a hissatsu, correct? We should have some cake later then to cele–”
“Leo-kun?”
Leonidas was shaking like a leaf as his hands trembled in front of him. With dazed eyes and a dark face, he was beginning to worry Mika when all of a sudden he turned and put a smile on his face.
“S-Sorry Mika-nee. I was just…happy.”
“Alright then…let’s head back with the others to pack up. The bus will be here to pick us up after dinner so make sure you bring everything you need but if you forget something I can always have one of our workers retrieve it for you so there’s no need for any stress.”
“Mmm”
“MIKAAAA, wasn't I absolutely amazing today?! Not that I was ever NOT amazing but I was even more perfect than usual!”
Flipping her hair, pleased with herself, Serika wrapped her arms around Mika’s neck before giving a rough look at Leonidas who had zipped his mouth as soon as the Raimon midfielder approached the two.
“That wasn’t too awful of a shoot, gloomy kid. I suppose you can be my minion, feel free to cry tears of gratitude.”
“Apologies Serika but that won’t be possible. As of an hour ago, the Takinamis have officially declared their sponsorship of Leo-kun here so as his nee-san, I’ll have to ask you to call him appropriately.”
“Ehhh?? Your family is ADOPTING this kid??”
“You may consider it as such.”
“Ugh.”
Serika took a look up and down at the green-haired boy that was standing in front of her and internally groaned. Yet another brat that would be hanging around Mika in the future like a fly.
Seeing the older, blonde girl looking at him with dissatisfaction, Leonidas quickly took out his mini tablet that enlarged and began to write. Having served numerous kids at the orphanage and Ryoga for a year he was used to working with people with all types of personalities. Bowing a full 90 degrees, Leonidas held out his tablet in front of him respectfully.
[It’s an honour to meet the esteemed Afuro-sama. Mika-nee has told me many wonderful things about her best friend in the car ride here. Please take care of me.]
Best Friend
Best Friend
Best Friend
“Ohohohohohohoh”
Laughing wickedly to herself, Serika held her right hand in front of her mouth as she made no attempt to hide her pleasure at Leonidas’s words. Maybe this kid wasn’t as bad as she thought he would be.
“Yes, well. Of course, Mika would say that. Hmph! As Mika’s best friend, you’re basically my younger brother as well so I’ll give you special permission to call me nee-san.”
Pausing, Serika took a second look at the boy who seemed strangely scrawny, even for a first year.
“How old are you anyway Tsujo-kun?”
[I’ll be turning eleven in two months, Afuro-nee.]
“You’re TEN?!”
Serika let out a shriek of surprise while even Mika beside her, opened her eyes a little wider in shock.
“What are you doing in Jr.High then? You should be in PRIMARY school right now! ”
[No one at the orphanage asked me before how old I was, so they guessed my age on the official documentation]
“Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh”
While Serika tried to process this information, Mika grabbed Leonidas’s hand and began to walk with him back to the benches where the team had gathered. Despite their initial investigation, she too was unaware that Leonidas was only ten years old and learning this fact made him seem even more like a baby to her now.
“Hey, wait for me Mika!”
Hakuren Hotel, One Hour Before The Bus
Knock Knock Knock
“Leo-kun?”
“Leo-kun?”
Knock Knock Knock
“Leonidas?”
Knock Knock Knock
Hearing no response from the room she had arranged for him, Mika gave a call to Leonidas but was immediately sent to voicemail. Becoming more worried by the second, she gave a call to one of the case workers she had assigned to Leonidas, who reported that he wasn’t in the dorms either. Receiving this information, she then took the stairs and walked to the front desk to ask the workers if they knew anything.
“Yes, he’s about 150cm tall, long-green hair and he would probably be wearing an oversized hoodie. He has orange eyes, has a thin body type and may have been carrying a tablet with him.”
Tapping her chin thoughtfully, the worker shook her head and tapped the male worker beside him and he walked over and answered.
“Oh yeah I remember that kid! I saw him run out of the lobby about an hour ago, he seemed to be in a rush to go somewhere.”
Thanking the two, Mika began to walk around the hotel lobby nervously while rubbing her lips with her fingers. Sending a message to all of the Takinami workers in the area, Mika sent some out to search for Leonidas, while she sent others to go interview the Hakuren team to see if they knew anything.
15 Minutes Later
With no positive news, Mika was regretting not assigning someone to Leonidas earlier. This wasn’t like her at all. It was natural that a member of the Takinami family be assigned bodyguards and yet she had completely forgotten about such a simple thing.
Leonidas’s stone cold, dead eyes in the hospital flashed in her mind as she mentally slapped herself for her stupidity. It was those eyes of his…
Inside the glowing orange eyes was a mixture of fear, anxiety and pain.
She had seen those eyes before…